Zika cases reach 52

Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial said on Wednesday the number of Zika cases in the country has reached 52, with the latest case involving a pregnant woman from Quezon City.

The woman from Quezon City is the fourth pregnant female to contract the Zika virus in the country. One from the four women infected with the Zika virus, a 16-year-old from Las Piñas, gave birth to a healthy baby this month.

Ubial said the Department of Health (DOH) would continue to monitor the health of the pregnant women who had contracted the Zika virus.

Enrique Tayag, who heads the DOH-Bureau of Local Health Development, said earlier manifestations of abnormalities in children born from Zika-infected mothers can be seen as late as two years of age.

Zika is a disease that can be transmitted by mosquito bites. Cases in Brazil show a link between the disease and microcephaly cases in children born from mothers infected by the Zika virus.

The DOH believes the risk is higher for pregnant women who contracted the disease during the first trimester of their pregnancies.

However, some reports from Brazil show children born with microcephaly had mothers who also contracted Zika during the late stages of their pregnancies.